Door guiding equipment



DOOR GUIDING EQUIPMENT Filed 13:20.20, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 1 IQ c l5 l5 1b ',5` /fo 1 l. A L A I1 l I lo l5 u n I4 l2 A lNVENTOQ BY ATTORNEY Jan., My 1936.. D. L. LINDQUlsT 2,027992@ DOOR GUIDING EQUIPMENT Filed Deo. 20, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -Vwm m/Nm ew V40 Patented Jan. 14, 1936 o stares ATENT OFFICE DOOR GUEDENG EQUIPMENT David Leonard Lindquist, Hartsdale, N. Y., as-

signor to Otis Elevator Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 20, 1933, Serial No. 703,199

5 Claims. (Cl. .Z0-19) This invention relates to guiding equipment for movement is eliminated When the door is in closed doors and especially for horizontally sliding doors position. used in elevator installations. A third feature of the invention is the pro- It is customary in elevator installations using vision of guiding equipment for the bottom of a MNE? horizontally sliding doors to support the doors horizontally sliding door which eliminates the 5 from their tops. This is usually done by providneCeSSity OI a guide gIOOVe in the Sill Of the ing tracks above the doors and suspending the doorway.

doors from these tracks through the intermediary Other features Will become apparent from the of hangers secured to the tops of the doors. The specification, taken in connection with the achangers are usually provided With rollers or simi companying drawings and. appended claims. 10 lar means which rest upon the track to guide the The invention Will be described in connection doors in their opening and closing movements. with sliding doors on an elevator car, although Quite generally only two hangers are provided the invention is equally applicable to sliding elefor each door. vator hatchWay doors. The invention involves It is also customary, with such arrangements, the lltiliZatiOn 0f tWO @Operating elements, One l5 to provide additional guiding equipment for the mounted on the door at the bottom thereof and bottoms of the doors, the other mounted independently of the door,

The present invention is directed to such guidarranged S0 that When the elements are in coing equipment for the bottoms of horizontally operation, they prevent movement of the door sliding doors. transverse to its plane. In the illustrated em- 20 It has been found, in many elevator installabOdimentS 0f the inVentiOn, V-Sheped elements tions having sliding doors, that guiding equipare employed. The two cooperating elements are ment heretofore provided at the bottoms of the mounted S0 that they Sent 0l neSt tOgetheI' When doors is noisy and permits objectionable rattling the 01001 iS in C10Sed POStiOn. At Other times of the doors. Such rattling has been found to the tWO elements are not interengaged- One 0f 25 be particularly objectionable when the elevator the illustrated embodiments of the invention uticar is in motion, due, for example, to the varying liZeS Sli-Ch a guiding Ineens erlanged SO that One air currents produced in the hatchWay at that 0f the V-Sheped elements iS an extension to a time causing objectionable movements of both the Solid guide Shoe Secured t0 the Sill at One Side 0f car and the hatchway doors transverse to their the -OOTWeY and Whieh PIOieCtS JbOVe the 'SU-1' 30 planes, face of the sill and into an inverted channel along This invention has as its principal object the the under Side 0f the dOOl, the COODeI'nting V elimination of door rattling When the elevator Shaped element 0n the (1001' being IJIOVded at car is in motion, and at the same time the prothe end- Of the Channel by suitably forming SllCh vision of guiding equipment for the bottom of end-- The guide Shoe Secured t0 the S111 thus 35 horizontally sliding doors which is simple, noiseguides the bottom of the door during door openless and substantially frictionless during door` ing and door Closing operation With a minimum operation of friction-suitable clearances being provided one feature of the invention is the provision between the solid guide shoe and the sides of of means for the bottom of a guided horizontally the Choline] for Such mimosa-'and the guide Shoe 40 sliding door in which one element of such means, oxtenslon cooperates Wlth the ond of the Channel secured to the door Seats, when thedoor is in secured to the door when the door is in closed closed position, in a cooperating element mountposltloo to p 'ovent transveroe momo thereofed other than on the door so as positively to pre- Thus 11.1 addltlon tc? preventmg rattling of the vent transverse motion of the bottom of the door doo? .at lts bottom gulde when the door 1s m Closed 45 when it is in Closed position position, suchhan 1rrantgerr'ient enables the use Another feature of the invention is the proof a S111 or t res old avmg no gmde groove therein. vision of guiding equipment for the bottom of a The second of the illustrated embodiments oi horlzontauy Shdmg door m Whwh the clearances the invention utilizes a solid guide shoe secured to 5o between the guiding parts While the door is away and projooting from the bottom of the door into from closed position are such as to enable moveo, guido groove formed in J511e sin, the end of the ment 0f the C1001 fleely in the Opening and @10S- guide shoe nearer the front edge of the door having direction Without undue transverse movement, ing e, V-shaped extension With the apex thereof and in which all such permissible transverse pointing toward the front edge of the door. Se- 55 cured in the guide groove is a cooperating element having a V-shaped recess positioned so that the V-shaped element on the door seats in the element in the guide groove when the door is in closed position and prevents transverse motion of the bottom of the door. At other times the V-shaped extension to the guide shoe projecting from the under side of the door does not cooperate with the element secured in the guide groove, but at such times the solid guide shoe cooperates With the guide groove in guiding the door at the bottom thereof, with suicient clearances being provided to avoid undue friction between the guide shoe and the guide groove.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a center-opening, horizontally sliding door on an elevator car, illustrating guiding equipment for the bottom of the door in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the same;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of the guiding equipment for the bottom of one of the door panels illustrated in Figures l and 2;

Figure 4 is a section taken along the line 4 4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a section .taken along the line 5 5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a front elevation of a two-speed horizontally sliding door on an elevator car, illustrating another form of guiding equipment for the bottom of the door in accordancel with the invention;

Figure 7 is a side view of the same;

Figure 8 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the door and sill taken along the line 8 3 of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a section taken along the line 9 9 of Figure 8; and

Figure 10 is a section taken along the line IIJ-I0 of Figure 9.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, elevator car IIJ is shown as provided with a center-opening door having door panels I I and I2. As shown the door is in closed position. During door opening operation, and by means of mechanism not essential to this invention, door panel II is moved to the left so that it is in front of elevator panel I3 and door panel I2 is moved to the right so that it is in front of elevator panel I4. Each door panel is supported by hangers I5 operating on a door track I6 suitably supported by the framework of the elevator car. Preferably the door hangers are of the sheave type, as illustrated.

The bottom of door panel II is provided with guiding equipment generally designated I1, while the bottom of door panel i2 is provided with guiding equipment generally designated I8. Inasmuch as this guiding equipment is similar for the two door panels, only the guiding equipment, Iii, for door panel I2, is described.

Referring now to Figures 3, 4 and 5, the bottom of door panel I2 has mounted therein and secured thereto an inverted channel 2U as so to provide a recess or groove 2| along the bottom of the door panel. The sill or threshold plate 23 beneath the door is suitably secured to the car frame and has provided thereon a guide shoe 22 for cooperation with recess 2l to guide door panel I2 in its opening and closing movements. Guide shoe 22, preferably solid and made of non-metallicmaterial, such as phenol canvas or bakelite, is secured to the threshold plate 23 through the intermediary of rivets 24, plate 25 and screws 26. The guide shoe is positioned on the threshold plate so that it is outside the entranceway, thus eliminating any possibility of passengers trippng over the upwardly projecting guide shoe when the door is in open position. The width of guide shoe 22 is such that there is preferably a small clearance bctween the sides of the guide shoe and the sides of the channel 2Q. Guide shoe 22 thus imposes a minimum of friction to the opening and closing movements of. door panel I2. Large clearances between guide shoe 22 and the sides of channel 2li are preferably avoided, since such clearances permit transverse motion of the door panel to an objectionable extent when the door is not in closed position. If desired, the apertures in plate 25 for screws 2E may be slots or oversized holes so as to provide a method of adjusting guide shoe 22 with respect to the door.

The sides of guide shoe 22 which cooperate with the sides pf channel 2G are tapered together to form surfaces 2l of a resulting V-shaped extension 28 of guide shoe 22, the apex of the eX- tension pointing away from the entranceway. Channel 29, secured along the bottom of the door panel, extends somewhat beyond the rear edge thereof., as illustrated at 29. The end of the eX- tension 29 of channel 2D is formed into a V-shape for interengagement with the V-shaped extension 28 of guide shoe 22 when the door is in closed position. Such formation of channel 20 is conveniently effected by removing the web of the channel for a distance inwardly from the end of the extension 2S of the channel and by bending together the projecting sides S of the channel so that when the door is in closed position, sides 30 of the channel are in engagement With surfaces 2l of the guide shoe extension 28. Sides 30 of channel 2U are preferably secured in their bent position by welding together the ends of such sides, as at 3 I As a result of the above construction, when door panel I 2 is in closed position, sides 30 of channel 20 engage surfaces 2l of the V-shaped extension 28 of guide shoe 22, thereby preventing motion of the bottom of the door panel transverse to the plane thereof. As a consequence, door panel I 2 does not rattle while the car is in motion, it being understood that in the normal operation of elevators, the elevator car is moved only when all the elevator doors, including the car door, are in closed position, and further, that the doors, upon closure thereof, are maintained in closed position. During door opening and door closing movements and while the door is in open position, the sides of guide shoe 22 cooperate with channel 2B to guide the door in a simple, efcient' and frictionless manner.

Referring to Figures 6 and 7, elevator car 40 is shown as provided with a two-speed horizontally sliding door composed of door panel 4I and door panel 42. As shown the door is in closed position. During door opening operation, and by means of mechanism not essential to this invention, door panels 4I and 2 are moved to the right, with door panel I moving at a faster speed than door panel 42, so that when the door is in open position, both door panel 5I and door panel l2 are in front of elevator panel 43. Door panel 4I is supported by hangers 44 operating on track 45 and door panel 42 is supported by hangers 46 operating on track M, tracks 45 and 41 being suitably supported by the framework of the elevator car. Preferably the door hangers are of the sheave type, as illustrated.

With a solid guide shoe 52 as illustrated, the width of such guide shoe between the sides thereof which are adapted to engage the sides of guide groove 53 is preferably such that there is clearance between the guide shoe and the sides of the guide groove sufficient to enable the door panel to be moved in the door opening and door closing directions with a minimum of friction due to the guiding equipment for the bottom of the door.

The sides of guide shoe 52 which cooperate with the sides of guide groovey 53 are tapered together to form surfaces 51 of a resulting V-shaped extension 58 of guide shoe 52, the apex of the extension pointing toward the front edge of door panel 4|. The bottom of the door panel' 4| is provided with guiding equipment generally designated 5|), while the bottom of door panel 42 is provided with guiding equipment generally designated 5|. Inasmuch as the guiding equipment for door panel 4| is similar to that for door panel 42, detailed description is made only of the guiding equipment, 5D, for door panel 4I.

Referring now to Figures 8, 9 and 10, a guide shoe 52 is mounted on door panel 4| at the bottom thereof, and arranged so that it projects downwardly from the bottom of the door panel into a guide groove 53 formed in the sill or threshold' plate 54, the threshold plate being suitably secured to the car frame. Guide shoe 52 is preferably a solid guide, and is preferably mounted on door panel 4| substantially midway between the front and rear edges thereof, with only one to the panel. The mounting of guide shoe 52 is preferably effected by`riveting or otherwise securing the guide shoe to one side of an angle bracket 55, the other side of which is arranged to extend up one side of the door panel and be secured thereto by means of screws 56 passing through suitable apertures in such upwardly eX- tending side of angle bracket 55. By means of this construction, guide shoe 52 may be installed and removed with ease and without moving the door panel from its hangers, for the removal of screws 56 and a slight transverse displacement of the bottom of the door is suiiicient to enable guide shoe 52 and its associated bracket to be withdrawn from guide groove 53 in threshold plate 54.

Mounted in guide groove 53 is a guide stop 6D secured to the bottom of the guide groove as by screws 6|. Guide stop 6|! has formed at one end thereof a V-shaped recess, the surfaces 52 of which are angularly disposed the same amount as the suiaces 51 of the V-shaped guide shoe extension 58. The guide stop 6|! is positioned in the guide groove so that the V-shaped extension 58 of guide shoe 52 nests in the V-shaped recess of guide stop 60, with surfaces 51 of the guide shoe extension in engagement with surfaces B2 of the guide stop, when door panel 4| is in closed position. The resulting interengagement of guide shoe extension 58 with guide stop 60 prevents transverse motion of the bottom of door panel 4| transverse to the plane thereof while the door is in closed position. As a consequence, door panel 4| does not rattle while the elevator car is in motion, it being understood, as before, that in the normal operation of elevators the elevator car is moved only when the doors are in closed position, and that, after closure of the doors, they are maintained in closed position.

The guide shoe 52 and guide stop 50 are preferably formed of phenol canvas or bakelite. It is also preferred to provide a hole 63 through the bottom of the guide groove at the juncture of surfaces 52 of theguide stop in order to provide an outlet for such foreign matter in the guide groove as the guide shoe may push toward the guide stop during closing operation. If desired, the apertures in guide stop 5|] for screws 5|, or the apertures in bracket 55 for screws 55, may be slots or oversize holes so as to provide a method for adjusting, with respect to the door position, the point of interengagement of the guide shoe extension with the guide stop.

It is to be understood that either of the illustrated embodiments of the invention may be used for sliding elevator hatchway doors, since such doors are likewise subject to rattling action such as that produced by air currents resulting fro-m motion of the elevator car, when such doors are in closed position.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 6-10 may be used with all types of sliding doors, the more common of such types being the single slide door, the two-speed door, the centeropening door, and the two-speed center-opening door. The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures. 1-5 is suitable for single slide doors and center-opening doors. An advantage of the construction as illustrated in Figures 1-5 is the grooveless tread plate. construction shown in Figures 6-10 are that it may be utilized with all types of sliding doors and that it may be arranged on the doors so that there is a minimum of deflection of the front edge of the door, when the door is in closed position, as the result of pressure against the surface of the door.

It is to be understood that although solid guide shoes have been shown and described as employed with both illustrated constructions, other types of guide shoes may be employed in each case. For example, spring gui-de shoes having light springs which diminish door vibration while the door is opening and closing may be employed in conjunction with the interengaging elements for preventing door rattling when the door is closed and the elevator car is in motion. Furthermore, the interengaging element-,shown in the illustrated embodiments of the invention as a V-shaped extension to the guide shoe may, if desired, be separate from the guide shoe. Also, if desired, two or more guide shoes may be employed for each door panel.

Inasmuch as many changes could be made in the above constructions and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a door guide at the bottom of a sliding elevator door, of means preventing movement of the bottom of said door transverse to the plane thereof when said door is in closed position, said means comprising; a member having two exterior surfaces disposed at an acute angle to each other; a member having two interior surfaces disposed at a corresponding angle to each other, said members, when moved into engagement with said exterior surfaces of the rst member in engagement with the corresponding interior surfaces of the sec-ond member, preventing relative motion in a given direction between said members, and also in the direction opposite thereto, when in such engagement; and means mounting one of said members on said door at the bottom thereof and the other of said members on the threshold so that said Advantages of the i members are brought into such engagement when said door is in closed position and .so that said given direction in which relative motion between said members is prevented is a direction transverse to the plane of said door 2. Guiding equipment for the bottom of a sliding elevator door, comprising; a solid gui-de shoe member; a guide shoe receiving member; means mounting one of said members on the door at the bottom thereof and mounting the other of said members under said door so that said members cooperate to guide said door and to define positive limits of the permissible motion in each direction of the bottom of said door transverse to the plane thereof; and means, including a V-shaped extension to said solid guide shoe member and also including a portion of said guide shoe receiving member having a V-shaped recess for receiving said V-shaped extension when said door is in closed position, eiective to reduce sai-d permissible motion of the bottom of said door substantially to zero when said door is in closed position.

3. In combination with a sliding elevator door; a channel member mounted along the bottom of said door with the sides thereof extending downwardly from the channel web; a guide shoe mounted on the threshold outside the entranceway of said door and extending upwardly between the sides of said channel member, so that said guide shoe cooperates with said channel sides to guide the bottom of said door; a V-shaped extension to said guide shoe pointing in the direction away from the entranceway of said door; and a V-shaped extension of the sides of said channel member pointing in the direction away from the front edge of said door, arranged so that when said door is in closed position the V-shaped extension of the sides of said channel member nests against the V-shaped extension to said guide shoe to prevent lateral movement of the bottom of said door.

4. In combination with a sliding elevator door; a sill beneath said door having a channel extending in the direction of movement of said door; a guide shoe mounted on said door at the bottom thereof an-d extending downwardly into said channel; a V-shaped member mounted on said door at the bott-om thereof and extending downwardly into said channel with the point of said member extending in the direction of the front edge of said door; and a receiving member secured in said channel to engage said V-shaped member when said door is in closed position to prevent lateral motion of said guide shoe in said channel when said door is in closed position.

5. In an elevator door assembly in which the door is supported from the top for horizontal sliding movement and in which the sill beneath said door is arranged to provi-de a channel extending in the direction of movement of said door; a solid guide shoe mounted on said door at the bottom and substantially at the midpoint between the front and rear edges thereof for operation in said channel to gui-de said door at the bottom thereof, said guide shoe having a V-shaped extension pointing in the direction of the front edge of said door; and a block secured in said channel and having a V-shaped recess therein so that said block is adapted to lt said V-shape-d extension on said guide shoe, said block being positioned in said channel so that said V-shaped guide shoe extension fits into said block when said door is in closed position, thereby preventing said gui-de shoe from rattling in said channel when said door is in closed position.

DAVID LEONARD LINDQUIST. 

